| The Byrds – Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season) Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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"A lot of the Byrd's early songs were covers, mostly Dylan, but i think the songs they wrote like Feel a Whole Lot Better, Eight Miles High, I Was'nt Born to Follow, I Was so Much Older Then and a lot of others show us that these buys (though the ranks were ever-changing) were amazing musicians." I Was so Much Older Then? Do you mean "My Back Pages", a song from Dylan's "Another Side of Bob Dylan" album, and a great song by Dylan and the Byrds, but nevertheless, a cover song. |
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| Bob Dylan – A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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Since when is anything Dylan has written literal? "Blue eyed son" does not HAVE to literally mean a child with blue eyes. Someone with blue eyes can just be seen as someone who is "innocent" or "good". His eyes have not yet been exposed to some of the horrors of the world. Also, I'm not really a practicing Christian, but that doesnt mean I cannnot think that Dylan may be referencing Christ in this song. I could say that Dylan could be referencing Hitler in a song, but it doesnt make me a nazi. And I agree that Dylan has TONS of religious references in his songs, and obviously they arent all about Christianity. But Dylan would admit, just as anyone should, that Christ is by far the most famous and talked about religious figure in all of human history. So is this song about Jesus? Maybe not, I'm just saying it could be, unlike you who is somehow SURE Dylan is talking about himself. Again, he could be, but nothing is literal in Dylans work. |
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| Dr. Dog – From Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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I think maybe this is about the disillusion of youth and childhood, at least in the verse slaorenz just quoted. I think maybe a member of Dr. Dog was very religious as a boy, and maybe felt that after all this praying and God listening to him, he felt abandonded by God or maybe religion in general. Another possibility is this is a reference to Jesus on the cross, just before his last breath, crying to God, "why have you forsaken me?"- a moment showing that even the "perfect" son, can have his moment of doubt and feeling of abandonment like all humans. Not sure if this is what they had in mind. Great song though, awesome live. |
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| Dr. Dog – The Ark Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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I think this song is about the expectations of life, and the failure of those expectations to be met. Mostly expectations derived from the words and promises of other people. God called for rain, so the person built an ark, but nothing came. Someone called for war, so the person joined the core, and wasnt sure of the cause. A dove called for land, but no land was there. I feel after all these failed expectations the man is left to ponder what is the meaning of life? Unfortunately, I think Dr. Dog's answer, at least in this song, is that there really is no great meaning. The meaning of life is that you are here and must make what you can from it. "Well I know cause I can and I will" An amazing song, that sounds like it could have come off the Beatles White Album. |
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| Bob Dylan – The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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Its really not hard to understand the meaning of this song, as it is pretty much spelled out for you, unlike most other Dylan songs. However, there are so many great little things that Dylan does in this song that really should be acknowledged. First off, Dylan's genius wordplay is established right away as he sings, "William Zanzinger killed poor Hattie Carroll with a cane that he twirled round his diamond ring finger." I love that Dylan doesnt just say Zanzinger's ring finger, but his DIAMOND ring finger. Dylan establishes right away the distinction between POOR (two meanings) Hattie Carroll and rich William Zangzinger, who has a diamond ring on his hand. Another wonderful thing Dylan does with his lyrics in this song is the way in which he builds up the story in each verse until it hits its tragic end. Each verse gets sadder than the last. In Verse 1, we learn that Zanzinger killed Hattie Caroll with a cane, which is a tragedy in and of itself. However, Dylan tellls his audience to take the rag away from their faces, because this is not the saddest part of the story. In the next verse, we learn who Zanzinger actually is- a horrible man who grew up wealthy and abused people who he thought were below him. We then learn he walked out of jail hours after the crime. Still, it is not time for tears because this is still not the saddest part of the story. Then we learn who Hattie Caroll was- a poor maid, who mothered 10 children, and spent her entire adult life serving people who were wealthier than her and abused her. This innocent woman was killed by one of those wealthy men. Still, this is not the saddest part of the story. From there, Dylan goes into a perfectly timed harmonica solo to build up the sad ending he is about to tell us. He comes back subdued and calm telling us about the trial of Zanzinger. The courtroom hides behind a veil that makes everything seem equal and fair, but in this case it is none of this. As Dylan continues to describe what goes in the courtroom, he gets louder and louder really stressing his words, and establishing his anger. Then we learn the saddest part of the story- Zanzinger is given only a 6 month sentence for his heinous crime. Once again, an innocent black person is killed for no reason, and justice is not served. A hateful murderer walks the street and continues to make more money and abuse and degrade people below him. Justice is NOT served. This is the most tragic part of the story. It is now time for us to bury the rags into our faces. It is now time for our tears. |
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| Dr. Dog – Army of Ancients Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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I'm pretty sure the chorus is : "How did the fox get the raven to crow?" This is a great song from probably the best band around these days. They have a sound that blends the great sounds of the late 1960's- The Beatles, The Band, Bob Dylan, amoung others. I cant help but hear early Bruce Springsteen in the vocals of this song especially when he belts out "OH YEAH". This may be a little premature, but I think Dr. Dog could possibly resurrect Rock N Roll to its glory days of the late 1960s. NOONE sounds like this today, except for Dr. Dog. |
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| Bob Dylan – A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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I dont know if anyone's touched upon this, but is it possible that the "blue eyed son" is actually Jesus, and the one asking the questions is God. At this point in his life, Dylan was not to my knowledge affiliated with any major religion (later he became a born again Christian and made really bad music), but his music was filled with allusions to the Bible and other well known religious stories. Think about it. Jesus was sent down to the earth (or so the story goes) and saw numerous things that were wrong with the world, specifically the way people were treating others. This is the type of world Dylan describes in his lyrics: "I heard one person starve, I heard many people laughin'" "I saw ten thousand talkers whose tongues were all broken" - the fact that this line is in the beginning of the song really makes me think it is a reference to Jesus and specifically the Gospel of Luke. Luke conveys a world in his gospel which before the arrival of Jesus was filled with self-proclaimed preachers- specifically rabbis that had lost touched with God's message. One of these men was John the Baptists father, i forget his name. This man thought he was very knowlegable and favored in the eyes of God. However, when he refused to believe a message of the angel Gabriel, his tongue was taken away and became mute..hence, there is a double meaning, "ten thousand talkers whose tongues were all broken" could mean a world full of people who really dont know what they are talking about but continue to spew information, and also John the Baptists father whos tongue was literally "broken". Dylan goes on to describe a number of other things wrong with the world. When asked what he will do, the blue eyed son (Jesus) would be expected to say that he is giving up on the world, because it is hopeless. Instead, he does the opposite and tries to save it, I'll tell it and speak itand think it and breathe it, And reflect from the mountain so all souls can see it, And I'll stand on the ocean until I start sinkin', But I'll know my song well before I start singin', 3 big references here, one obvious and one a little more subtle: 1."stand on the mountain so all souls can see it"- clear reference to JC's surmon on the mound- a famous speech of his which basically reversed the known roles of society- the poor will be rich, first will be last, etc. 2. "stand on the ocean until i start sinkin"-an obvious one here, Jesus walking on water. 3. "Know my song well before I start singing."- if you ever read the New Testament, you know that there is no real mention of Jesus' childhood or the first 20 or so years of his life. It mentions his birth, one of the gospels explains how he got lost in Church when he was a boy, then all of a sudden hes an adult. Scholars generally agree that it was during these adolescent and young adult years that Jesus learned and prepared his message so that he could know it well before he preached it- "know my song well before I start singing." Of course, I could be totally wrong about this whole thing, but I think it makes a lot of sense. By the way, I'm not a religious freak or even a "Christian". But, like Dylan I can appreciate the beauty of the Bible, and respect Jesus (if he did in fact exist) and his pursuit of social justice. Also, this song is not confined to the time of Jesus, or even Jesus himself, but really could be about any young boy who sees the harsh truths of the world, and decides that he wants to make a difference to try to change it and make it better. NO ONE WILL READ THIS CAUSE ITS TOO LONG but oh well. |
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| The Flaming Lips – Placebo Headwound Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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I have to say i kind of agree with whiffet. I love the Lips, but I feel like they have been too simplistic when it comes to religion. "And if God hears all my questions Well, how come there's never an answer?" is a dumb question that is really not a good atheist argument. I have no problem with atheists, and again I love the Lips, but a dumb question. |
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| The Flaming Lips – Placebo Headwound Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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I have to say i kind of agree with whiffet. I love the Lips, but I feel like they have been too simplistic when it comes to religion. "And if God hears all my questions Well, how come there's never an answer?" is a dumb question that is really not a good atheist argument. I have no problem with atheists, and again I love the Lips, but a dumb question. |
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| The Velvet Underground – Candy Says Lyrics | 16 years ago |
| Its so cool listening to this song right after "Sister Ray" ends. Its like the morning after a big blowout (White Light /White Heat album) into a calming after effect (The Velvet Underground). Beautiful song, beautiful album. Really shows the diversity and brillaince of the VU. | |
| Bob Dylan – Gates of Eden Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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"Of war and peace the truth just twists' Another example that to Dylan there really was no such thing as "truth". The line between war and peace is so fine that it almost cannot be seen. Therefore the truth just twists and you are unable to tell what is war and what is peace. "All and all can only fall With a crashing but meaningless blow No sound ever comes from the Gates of Eden" Once again, Paradise Lost, or if you prefer The Bible, humans "fall" out of Paradise with a "crashing and meaningless blow"- Seems odd that a fall can be crashing but also meaningless. Again it is that fine line between truth- something can be crashing to one person but meaningless to others. However, in the simple world of Eden, there are no sounds. The motorcycle black madonna Two-wheeled gypsy queen And her silver-studded phantom cause The gray flannel dwarf to scream As he weeps to wicked birds of prey Who pick up on his bread crumb sins And there are no sins inside the Gates of Eden This one is tough, but I'll give it a shot. Clearly this is about death, "wicked birds of prey" seem to me to be vultures feasting on the dead. However, the fact that Dylan says "maddonna" here makes me think that he is referencing Jesus and Mary. Why she is a motorcycle black maddonna, and he is a gray flannelled dwarf is beyond me. I do think that this is a reference to Jesus turning over a table at the Temple because of the possesions being bought and sold there in the house of God- "silver studded phantom cause the gray flannelled dwarf to scream." Again, these gray areas of what is a sin or what is right and wrong dont exist in Eden. Every verse in this song shows the complexities and uncertainties of our world. Just like Dylans lyrics in the song, nothing is clear, and everything is kryptic as man tries to reach his road to perfection, something that will never happen. Every thing is complex and kryptic, that is, until the last line of every verse. These last lines represent the ideal ways of life, and the way life is in Eden- a place so vastly different from the world we know. Look simply at the last line of each verse: 1. All except when 'neath the trees of Eden 2. No sound ever comes from the Gates of Eden 3. Heading for the Gates of Eden 4. All except inside the Gates of Eden 5. There are no kings inside the Gates of Eden 6. And there are no sins inside the Gates of Eden 7. It doesn't matter inside the Gates of Eden 8. And there are no trials inside the Gates of Eden 9. And there are no truths outside the Gates of Eden While the rest of the song portrays the grey areas of life that are kryptic and mysterious, the last line of each verse is a concrete statement that seems to be fact. This is the ideal world of Eden, where everything is black and white, and nothing is disputed- paradise. Notice that every last line talks about what happens inside the gates of Eden, until the very end when Dylan claims there are no truths OUTSIDE the gates of Eden. This is what he wants you to remember- that this world of Eden doesnt exist, only a world in which there are no truths. A world that is not perfect and does not have answers, solutions, or truths. |
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| Bob Dylan – Gates of Eden Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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Anyone else notice the references to Milton's "Paradise Lost"?The allusion that really jumps out at me is the very last stanza: "At dawn my lover comes to me And tells me of her dreams With no attempts to shovel the glimpse Into the ditch of what each one means" To me, this is a clear reference to Paradise Lost, specifically Book V. The narrator here is Adam, and his lover is Eve telling him of the dream in which she eats the forbidden fruit and they in turn are cast out of Paradise (Eden). In the poem, Adam tells Eve that there is no reason to think about the dream or what it means, because it is just a dream and it is something that she would never do in real life. What follows in "Gates of Eden" is Adam speaking after the fall, or after being kicked out of Eden: "At times I think there are no words But these to tell what's true And there are no truths outside the Gates of Eden." If you read Paradise Lost, or the Book of Genesis (though Paradise Lost is much more in depth), you realize that there are major differences between the way that humans think before and after the fall. Before the fall, the world is black and white. Everything is clearly defined- there are "truths" and nontruths and nothing in between. However, once Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit they realize that they now have the ability to reason- in a sense, to make decisions on their own and decide what is "right" and "wrong". Since defining these terms are very subjective, then there reallly "are no truths outside the gates of Eden" Sort of like Pontius Pilate said, "What is truth?" The only truth that really exists to Adam or to all human beings is that there are no "truths" in the world. Therefore, this song to me is about all of the things that humans do to get to this ideal world of Eden, that frankly does not exist. Some examples: Verse 3- The complaining soldier, and the deaf shoeless hunter remain because they think they are "heading for Eden". They use war to get to Eden. Verse 4- Aladdin, the monk, the Golden calf- all of these things use spiritualism or magic to get to Eden. All believe in promises of Paradise, but inside the fantasy world of Eden laughs are heard. Verse 5- Ownership, conquering, kings and queens think they can get to Eden, but these things dont exist in the fantasy world of Eden. After all this mumbo jumbo, I really take this song as saying a simple statement- that there are no truths. There are no real solutions or answers to the problems that exists, because everyone views the world differently through their own eyes, and they have since Eve ate the forbidden fruit in Eden. I think Dylan was saying on a personal note, that he did not have the answers and was not the savior because there is no such thing as having the answers. WOW NO ONE WILL READ THIS BECAUSE ITS EXTREMELY LONG. |
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| Bob Dylan – Visions of Johanna Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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The version of this song from Bootlegs Vol 4 is the greatest acoustic performance by anyone ever. It gives me chills. Dylan almost seems more like a mythical person when he delivers this song rather than a rock star. And then, of course, a few songs later he switches to his wonderful garage rock sound and doesnt miss a beat. Truly amazing. I love the last lines of this song, though I'm not sure what they mean: The harmonicas play the skeleton keys and the rain And these visions of Johanna are now all that remain Anyone have any thoughts on them? |
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| Bob Dylan – Chimes of Freedom Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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I have to agree with hellopeople. I think this is also a song that emphasizes what america SHOULD be. To me, this song proves Dylan to be a patriot. Many people like to say that artists like him who criticize America are unpatriotic and unamerican. In my mind, Dylan, at least the one in '64, was an absolute patriot. This song is his vision of America- a place that can and should exist. I think at this point in his life Dylan thought this vision was possible, although a little idealistic and unrealistic. When I look at the last verse though, it seems also to be about the changing of the tides in America. I think Dylan's generation are the people tolling these "chimes of freedom" and claiming who they are tolling the chimes for, while the older generation looks on in displeasure. This song reminds me a lot of "The Times They are a chanin'" because of the way Dylan seems to be giving his own "Sermon on the Mound" telling everyone who this is for. Look at the last verse: Starry-eyed an' laughing as I recall when we were caught Trapped by no track of hours for they hanged suspended As we listened one last time an' we watched with one last look Spellbound an' swallowed 'til the tolling ended Tolling for the aching ones whose wounds cannot be nursed For the countless confused, accused, misused, strung-out ones an' worse An' for every hung-up person in the whole wide universe An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing. I think they were "caught" by the older generation by the end, but they had made their point and the "chimes of freedom" tolled long enough for everoyne to gaze upon them and make some changes. Kinda long, but thats what it means to me. God Dylan is a freakin genius. |
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